Battle Crown of Necros
The Tiara of Annalise
Alric pushed more energy into his death spell and commanded his wraith forward, sweat beading on his brow from the effort. Screams rose above the roaring fire, above the clashing of swords in front of him, and above the spellcasters. But still, the fire did not subside.
Too many. There are just too many of them, he thought. Even if they could hold out until nightfall, the Rhovani would not be able to get past that fire.
Alric launched a necrotic spell over the battlefield, aiming for their row of mages, only for the spell to be blocked and to dissipate. He reached into his pocket, fingering his last lifestone. Would it even make a difference?
A feminine figure pushed past him and drew closer to the physical fighting. Every instinct in him wanted to pull her back, to push her behind him and shield her from the violence. He tamped down hard on those feelings. She would only kill him for the insult to her pride.
He wanted to look away, to not witness her death, but he could not. Time seemed to pause and the spirit energy around them shifted, then swirled. Faster and faster, unseen power swept past him and through him. His breath caught in his throat, and he wondered at who could command the spirits this way.
The woman rose into the air, her raven-black hair shimmering in the setting sunlight. The swirling energy intensified, and soon an unnatural wind whipped at them. Slowly, the emporer's men began to fall. He opened himself to the spirit energy around him, astounded at the amount available, and his mouth fell open in shock. He had never witnessed this level of necromancy.
As the tide of battle shifted, Alric slipped back to his tent and called for his aide.
"Find a woman's crown, and fast!"
It was commissioned in 388 DE during the Great Uprising by the leader of one of the rebel forces, Alric, a necromancer whose participation in the uprising and Reginald Emerson's schemes included the creation of a necromancer nation upon defeating Emporer Imbrianus.
He ordered the crown to be ready quickly, sacrificing quality to the desire of quick decisions and strong leadership.
Legend has it he was so impressed with a necromancer's power that he offered her the queenship of the soon-to-be nation Necros. His troops rallied behind her, many reporting a boost in moral and confidence just being in the presense of such a strong necromancer.
Just seeing her there with us on the battlefield made us feel invincible, unstoppable. I would follow her anywhere, even into death.
She soon agreed, and this union between Alric and Annalise was said to have changed the efficacy of this particular rebel unit overnight. Records indicate she wore the tiara into every battle thereafter.
Moonlight glinted off the dark gems of her tiara, and I almost felt bad for the poor bastards in front of us. Almost.
Death of Annalise
Annalise died in battle near the end of the Great Uprising, never experiencing the independence of Necros she fought so hard for, and neither becoming a queen in truth. Nevertheless, she is celebrated as one of Necros's greatest heroes. In her dying moments, she managed to take out several high-level mages, striking a major blow to the empire and altering the course of history.Wars of Wennovi
Interesting piece! I am surprised that necromancers seem to be very respected in your setting. That is rarely the case. And it's a nice touch that this treasure would be pretty worthless without the rich history it carries! A little note would be: it makes little sense to use the tiara image twice.
Thank you for your feedback. Hopefully, I've cleared it up a bit. Necromancers are only respected in Necros, but are feared and hated everywhere else. Again, thanks! :)